John Cross, our man in the know at the Emirates, assesses how Arsene Wenger played the summer transfer window

Weeks of frustration, anger and confusion. Half an hour of pure magic.

That just about sums up Arsenal's transfer window. At 10.30pm on Monday night, with just half an hour of the transfer window, they announce the big-name superstar that they have been craving all summer.

Obviously, being Arsene Wenger, it's not the striker that the fans have been telling him to buy. But a tricky midfielder full of skill, technical ability and quality.

Is Ozil what was needed? Probably not. But he improves the team and takes Arsenal to another level. He's also one to excite the fans, the Premier League and provides a statement of intent and ambition on Arsenal's part. The board and Wenger mean business - and they delivered.

Arsenal fans can see him as the best signing since Dennis Bergkamp. Proven quality. Henry, Vieira and Pires did not arrive with such reputations. They made theirs at Arsenal. Ozil is already world class. A fabulous signing, great deal.

Jose Mourinho called him the best No10 in the world. His German Under-21 boss Horst Hrubesch dubbed him the German Lionel Messi. He's a a brilliant player.

Let's face it, Arsenal needed a striker. Their late move to take Demba Ba on a season long loan was thwarted by Mourinho, who, conveniently, left it so late to say no that Arsenal didn't have time to get anyone else. Coincidence? Mourinho rarely does things by accident.

At last! A big money signing

Emiliano Viviano has joined on a season-long to provide back-up for the keepers. Mathieu Flamini came into the midfield on a free transfer. Yaya Sanogo joined as a free agent.

Arsenal have treated themselves to chateaubriand - and forgotten the vegetables. But if your ignore your mum, don't eat your greens, then dinner has never tasted so good.

The gamble is clearly relying on Olivier Giroud. He's been in great form. Four goals in five games. He looks sensational. But Arsenal do not have a back-up centre forward. Their only viable option is Lukas Podolski and he's out injured. Sanogo is unproven yet. Forget Nicklas Bendtner. Wenger has.

The other striking part about Arsenal's window was how much deadwood they cleared out. Denilson, Squillaci, Gervinho, Arshavin and Chamakh all finally went. Plenty more youngsters, squad players and the like.

That was great work in itself. The worry is whether Arsenal have left themselves too short. They have little in the way of cover.

But that is genuinely the way Wenger wants it. A small, tight squad full of spirit and togetherness. Don't forget that Arsenal have taken more points in this calendar year than any other team.

You can buy a lot of players. But it doesn't buy togetherness. Looking at Twitter last Friday night, I thought some pundits embarrassed themselves when talking about Tottenham. It was as if they were playing transfer window Championship Manager.

How do you know they will settle in? Arsenal made them look like strangers at the Emirates. Too many new players. Arsenal thought their front three would be Chadli, Townsend and Soldado. Is that better than Lennon, Bale and Adebayor? I don't think so.

Arsenal have a team. They don't have enough of a squad in my opinion to win the league. But Ozil does give them hope and he's bought into Wenger's vision.

This window probably proves something needs looking at. Wenger is adamant that he must have the final say on transfers. But someone needs to push him into being decisive.

Chief executive Ivan Gazidis wanted big deals. Transfer fixer Dick Law - which other club official has become as infamous in a window? - set up the deals. Wenger dithered. It left some people wondering whether he had lost his touch.

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Ivan Gazidis: he got the big deal he wanted

Just a note on Dick Law. He's a nice guy. Is very popular in the agent world. He has great South American connections. He's been with the club for years. He did the deal for Gilberto Silva. But how can you negotiate if you always have to go away and check with your boss?

But let's be honest, Arsenal needed a striker. They messed up on Luis Suarez. Their transfer dealings do need looking at. Why leave it to the last minute? For me, that's bad planning. But in Ozil, they have delivered genuine quality.

That's Wenger for you: write him off at your peril. As the window dragged on, I began to wonder whether Wenger was playing the end game. What sort of manager wouldn't want to strengthen?

The signing of Ozil proves Arsenal's ambition, Wenger's determination and shows they are determined to win silverware again.